Bonobo

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Estimated Population: between 5,000 to 17,000 - Endangered

Ways to identify this species: Bonobos are smaller than chimpanzees, with the average weight of the male around 95 pounds and the female around 82 pounds. They have slimmer bodies, flatter faces and higher foreheads than chimpanzees.  Their hair has a natural part down the middle and they have lips that are reddish in color. 

Biology

• The bonobo is restricted to the lowland rainforests of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire) between the Congo (Zaire) and Kasai Rivers.

• Bonobos are considered omnivores although they primarily eat fruits, vegetables, leaves, seeds and nuts. They have also been observed eating small mammals in the wild..

• Typically, bonobos travel and feed in groups of 3 to 6 individuals.  At night these groups come together to form larger troops. They have strong social ties to each other through sexual interactions and sex is an important way to ensure stability and ease tensions within the group.

• Bonobo society is female dominant. A male gets his rank in the group from his mother. The son of the dominant female is the highest ranking male in the group. He will hold this rank as long as his mother is alive or remains the dominant female.

Threats

• The primary predators of bonobos are humans. While hunting of bonobos is illegal, poaching is still common. There is some evidence that leopards and pythons, known to feed on chimpanzees, also feed on bonobos.

• Loss and fragmentation of habitat due to increasing human population, agricultural expansion and logging are all serious threats to the bonobo. Unsustainable logging practices not only endanger vital bonobo habitat, but require the building of roads that give hunting access to poachers. Experts suggest there could be a loss of up to 50% in population within three generations.